Florentine Painting Collection

Bestandskatalog der Florentiner Malerei

The interdisciplinary research project of the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen and the Doerner Institut was initiated to study the Florentine paintings from the 14th to 16th centuries at the Alte Pinakothek, one of the most significant collections of paintings from the heart of the Italian Renaissance worldwide. For the first time, more than 70 works, including pieces by the most important old masters in European art history such as Giotto, Fra Angelico, Sandro Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci, are being thoroughly investigated within the context of art history and through comprehensive technical analyses.

In addition to gaining new insights into the individual works, the project aims to make a contribution to the clarification of various overarching questions in current art-history research, e.g., on the history of the genre and function of the pictures or workshop practices. The team of art historians, conservators and scientists is committed to studying the working methods and painting techniques of the Florentine masters, taking an unusual approach: analyses of the materials used, covering not only the pigments but also the combination of binding materials used, promise a better understanding of the links between technical and stylistic developments in painting. The results of the project will be published in an in-depth catalogue with numerous illustrations.

The project is supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and the Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung.

Image: Fra Angelico, Saints Cosmas and Damian with their Brothers before the Proconsul Lysias, ca. 1438/40

Preview

With about one hundred masterpieces of the 14th and 15th century, the exhibition takes a look at the groundbreaking innovations that occurred in painting in the birthplace of the Renaissance. In the early 19th century, Ludwig I of Bavaria was able to purchase several spectacular and seminal works by Florentine painters for the Munich collections. These panels are now joined by numerous high-profile loans. Presented side by side they form a visual colloquy that brings the panels’ specific qualities to light. Paintings, sculptures, and drawings – including outstanding works by Giotto, Lorenzo Monaco, Donatello, Fra Angelico, Filippo Lippi, Verrocchio, Botticelli and Leonardo – present a comprehensive survey of the tradition and evolution of Renaissance art in the Florence of the Medici family.

For the first time in the history of the Alte Pinakothek, an accompanying display in the gallery features nearly every single Florentine panel dating from the 14th, 15th, and 16th century held in the Munich collections. Furthermore, the exhibition also presents the results of an interdisciplinary research project undertaken at the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen that uncovers and highlights the working methods and technical achievements of the Florentine masters.